Eclectic

"Selecting what seems best of various styles or ideas."

I have electic taste in music. I really do. I like most genre. Love classical - Baroque, Classical and Romantic Periods mostly. Love smooth instrumental jazz. Dig Rock'n'Roll ... especially the 70's. Have grown to appreciate the music of the 20's, 30's, 40's, 50's and 60's thru the years. Was raised on Big Band music ... grew to really enjoy it. Love to listen to the crooners from the 40's and 50's. I like some music from the 80's and 90's, but mostly Contempory Christian music from those decades. I enjoy Swing music; some Rockabilly; some Blues, but mostly instrumental in those genre. Not big into the vocals with that music. I have found that Pandora, an online Radio station, is a wonderful venue for being introduced to new artists. It is where I found Belgium Gypsy Jazz guitarist Django (pronounced "john-go") Reinhardt who played an type of jazz/swing music back in the 30's & 40's.

The thing that I enjoy about a lot of the music from the 20's, 30's & 40's is that it is fun music ... positive message ... about love and happy times. So much of today's music is so introspective ... almost brooding in nature ... both the music and the lyrics.

Anyway, I have plucked from the many genres in existence the styles of music that I like the most and have quite a massive (by my standards) CD collection. It has to be over 1000 CD's for sure. I'd be surprised if it wasn't. Now my goal is to find a suitable place to store them so I have easy access, yet they are attractively presented ... like a bookcase made for CDs. Someday ... Chaoi.

Okay, so it's inane ...

It's 2:12 am and I can't get to sleep. I am getting over a bout with food poisoning. Must have been that dad gum Jimmy Dean's Breakfast Sandwich I ate Sunday morning. Wow! Didn't know a person could projectile vomit that much stuff. Dang! Anyway ... I was lying in bed, my mind wandering, as it tends to do more often than not and I thought, "ya know, that phrase SHIT HAPPENS is wrong. Life happens ..." Yup, no foolin', I thought that. At 2 am on Wednesday morning, March 10th I thought that. I was pondering all the negative, hurtful things that have gone down in my life ... fortunately for me I had a good upbringing (although apparently my estranged sister and I don't share that feeling), so I had a solid foundation. I mean, a person definitely has a better chance of making it through life with a minimal amount of damage to their psyche if they are close to God ... as in an intimate relationship. I have often said that I didn't know how people make it in this life without God. We can only carry ourselves so far on our own ... then we run out of whatever it is that we run out of ... desire, intestinal fortitude, gumption, moxie, whatever it is. With God we look past ourselves and straight into the face of God, which is seen in others or something of that nature. Being still before God, which has always been a struggle for me, helps to sort things out sometimes. So, back to my point about life happening ... we all have choices to make throughout our lives. For better or for worse, we make these choices and must live with the consequences that result from those choices. How we handle those consequences says a lot about our character.

The real question I keep asking and can't seem to find an answer for is "Now explain to me why God bothered created us if He knew all THIS would happen again?"

Is this inane? You decide ...

Can you say sanctification 5 times fast?

What does it mean? Is there a definitive definition? Well, I know what I know and that's about it, so this next bit is MY OPINION ... First off, here is how thefreedictionary.com defines sanctification:

1. To set apart for sacred use; consecrate. 2. To make holy; purify.

My understanding has always been that sanctification is instantaneous AND progressive at the same time. Once a person gives their life over to God, they are looked at BY God as instantly pure and holy thru the sacrifice His Son Jesus Christ did on the cross during the crucifixion. By the way, it only took ONE DROP OF BLOOD to cleanse the sins of man. However, your sanctification in actuality, takes place over your entire life. It is progressive. I will have to seek scriptural backup for these truths ... that will come in a later post.

Having said all this, I believe that while it is nifty to know the definitions of terms from scripture, it all really comes down to faith and trust. Do you have faith and trust in God that He is who He says He is and that what the Bible says really is His word and is wholly true and trustworthy? If the answer is "yes", then it really doesn't matter WHAT you think about sanctification, does it? But it is an interesting thing to discuss, as if we really know what we are talking about anyway.

Rick Carlisle - Jim Carrey

Were the gentlemen separated at birth or are they the same person? I can't be sure. I see Rick on the Dallas Maverick's sideline and Jim isn't making any movies at the moment ... maybe he's too busy coaching the Mavs ... food for thought.

I'M BACK ...

Did you know that God cares more for WHO you are than WHAT you have
accomplished? Actually it would be who you are IN HIM. Without God, we are all guilty of everything big or small that we have ever done wrong. God equipped us from birth with a free will and a sense of right and wrong. God knew before He even created us that we couldn't live a sinless life, which is why He sent His only Son to pay our debt. We couldn't, but God could. God set things up so that only a blood sacrifice from a spotless lamb could cleanse a person of their sin. The Son of God (Jesus Christ) willingly went to the cross (the cruelest form of punishment of the day devised by the Romans) to spill His own blood for the sins of mankind. The blood of a sinless man has made a way for us all to stand spotless before Almighty God. You see, He looks at all of us thru the blood of His Son. So WHO you are is far more important to God than WHAT you have done. Are you forgiven? Are you a child of the King? Have you faced yourself head on and seen the need for a change? If so, I am here to tell you that the Creator of the Universe is waiting with open arms to welcome you into His family. I did so over 30 yrs ago and I have never, not even one time, ever regretted my decision to follow Christ. Join me, won't you. You will never be the same.

Hawthorne

Nathaniel, that is ... "No man can wear one face to himself and another to the multitude without finally getting bewildered as to which may be true."


This pearl of wisdom was seen on THE SOPRANOS - SEASON ONE; EPISODE 5.

As the saying goes: "You take the meat and leave the bones" and "Truth is truth wherever you find it."

I told ja I could be serious ... hahahahaha.

Who is the Dos Equis man?

I have done some research and found out that the man pictured here is Claude Diefendorfer. His story is a tragic one. He grew up in anonymity in the small Northwestern town of Moose Snout, Washington. As a young adult he aspired to be an actor, but was very shy, even withdrawn. When he reached middle age, he was spotted in his van down by the river, where he was arbitrarily chosen to be the star of a series of commercials for the Mexican beer, Dos Equis. Quickly he became an international icon, known as "the most interesting man in the world", with the catch phrase "Stay thirsty my friends." Things went well for Claude until he began to have trouble going out in public. While he enjoyed the noteriety at first, it began to wear on him. He began having anxiety attacks and become introverted. He stumbled into Arkam Asylum to check himself in recently. The straw that broke the camels back was when, wherever he went, he was met by one question - "Hey Dos Equis guy, are you thirsty?" It was the only thing anyone ever wanted to know from him. His own identity disappeared, only to be replaced by "the Dos Equis guy". So Claude Diefendorfer will spend the rest of his life, quietly, alone, in search of his real identity.

I'm Clyde Thaxton and this has been "Who are you?"

Who is Thurber Mingus & what is he doing in Texas?

Is it just the name of two neighboring towns on I-20 in West Texas or is it the alter ego of a famous or perhaps infamous, international spy who has blended in with the town folks in the area. To conceal his identity they now refer to their two towns as Thurber, Texas and Mingus, Texas, rewriting their entire history to conceal his identity. Will we ever really know the truth?? Only time will tell.